East Hartford's United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will develop a new energy storage system with help from a $3 million federal grant, the U.S. Department of Energy said.

The energy department on Tuesday announced UTRC's project is one of 10 receiving a slice of $28 million under its new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program. The funds are meant to develop new energy storage systems to add reliable, affordable power to the electric grid for up to about 100 hours.

UTRC will develop the system based on a new flow battery chemistry sulfur-manganese-based active materials. The project will provide offer low-cost energy storage as it pairs inorganic reactants with long-duration electricity discharge.

Under the program, energy labs in Somerville, Mass., and Hampton, NH, will also receive almost $4 million and over $1.9 million, respectively.